Baristas and Weapon Makers
by Average Nerd 3456
Summary: Sequel Trilogy Modern AU. After finding a runaway dog, Rey finds herself thrown into an insane adventure with Finn, a former employee of a weapons manufacturer and Poe Dameron, a barista. Now working alongside her two friends, she ends up catching the eye of an emo businessman (who also happens to be one of Finn's old bosses) and his two companions. Reylo, Finsma, and Pux.
1. The Dog

To say Finn was having a bad day was an understatement. His three bosses were being assholes as usual (what kind of company has THREE bosses instead of one?!), which wasn't a surprise to him, and had a fit when he decided to quit. They couldn't fire him now if he quit.

 _Looks like it's time to just go home and figure out what to do next…_ he thought while looking back at the First Order Industries building.

At least he wouldn't have to deal with them anymore. He could do whatever he wanted and no one would give him any trouble over it, any business in Coruscant HAD to be hiring since he didn't want to be some bum without a job.

Before Finn could step into the lobby of his pristine apartment building, he crashed immediately into someone who was running out of the building.

"Whoa!" Finn said as he stumbled back.

The other guy stopped immediately and asked, "Oh my god! I'm really sorry, dude. Are you alright?"

"You think?! What's the rush, man?"

"Come with me. I'll explain it."

 _Oh shit, is he kidnapping me?_ Finn thought in fear as the guy plopped him into the front passenger seat of his car.

"I have absolutely no idea what's going on here…" he said while the car zipped through the city.

"It's a long story, man!" the other guy said. "Got a name?"

"Finn."

"Cool name! I'm Poe Dameron."

"Well then, Poe, can you PLEASE explain to me what the hell is going on with all this rush?" Finn asked.

"I'm looking for my dog. He ran off." Poe said.

"A dog?! This is all for a stupid dog?!"

"Look, pal, my dog is anything BUT stupid. He's actually really smart for a dog."

 _A dog…A FREAKING dog!_ Finn thought with a groan.

He didn't expect the day to go like this…

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

Rey HATED working at _Banana Republic_. Today had to be the worst day she had ever worked: the customers were pissed more than usual and her head was pounding as if a jackhammer were attempting to penetrate her skull.

"I'm so sorry, miss. Our policy says that—" she was saying to a customer who was showing off a badly damaged shirt.

"WHERE IS YOUR MANAGER?! I DEMAND TO SPEAK WITH HIM!" the customer said.

 _Of course…_ Rey thought.

As her boss went to handle the situation, the brunette made a mental note to quit once he was done handling the situation. She ripped a piece of paper from a notepad on the desk and wrote down that she quit.

The boss finally solved the problem and walked over to the desk as Rey gave him the paper and left the store, stepping out into the insanity of the mall.

To her, it was like a mental institution: the children let out unholy screeches in the indoor playground, couples argued amongst themselves, friends laughed, and several teenage girls were talking in high voices.

"And then I was like—"

"And then he said—"

"And we spent the whole day doing our nails!"

Rey covered her ears, wishing that she brought her earplugs while making her way outside to her car. All she had to do was drive back home to her drab apartment and clean it. After arriving at the apartment, she went to take out the trash.

 _Stupid junkyard of an apartment…God, I wish something interesting would happen for once!_ Rey thought.

She placed the trash bag into the bin and slammed it shut before hearing a sniffing sound near her. Rey looked in the direction and jumped upon seeing an orange and white Australian Shepard sniff at her purse.

"Where did you come from?" she asked while cautiously holding out her hand.

 _Please don't be rabid…please don't be rabid…_ she thought.

Immediately, the dog licked her hand, much to her relief. Rey noticed that the dog had a bright orange collar around its neck with a white license on it. On it, it read:

 _BB_

 _If found, return to Poe Dameron_

Underneath the last part was the address and phone number. Rey shrugged after reading it and scratched BB behind the ears.

"Don't you worry, BB, I'll call your owner." she said before pulling out a peanut shaped cookie from her purse. "In the meantime, how about you have a treat? It's peanut butter."

The dog wagged its tail at her and immediately took the cookie from her. Rey laughed and gave it another pat on the head before leading it into the lobby.

"Well, at least SOMETHING happened…" Rey said to herself as she dialed BB's owner's number into her phone.


	2. Friendship and Angst

**Elsewhere…**

The office was pitch black with the blackout curtains on the window completely blocking out the sun. Kylo Ren sat at his desk holding an old picture of his grandfather and idol, Anakin Skywalker.

"Show me again the power of the darkness…" he said to the picture. "And I will let nothing stand in our way."

Anakin had died before Kylo was born, but the dark-haired businessman felt a strong connection to him. Growing up, he had always wanted to be just like him and trusted this photo more than his parents and uncle.

"Show me, grandfather. And I will finish what you've— "

Suddenly, the door opened and a bit of light from the hallway entered his office.

"Who dares disturb my brooding?!" Kylo asked, shooting up from his desk.

His friends and fellow co-founders of First Order Industries, Hux and Phasma, walked in while glaring at the dark office.

"You think it wouldn't kill him to put some lights in his office…" Phasma said to her friend.

"I HEARD THAT! I'M IMMUNE TO THE LIGHT!" Kylo said.

"What are you doing?" Hux asked Kylo with a groan.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Hux?" Kylo asked. "I'm vowing to finish what my grandfather started."

 _Not this again…_ Hux thought.

"Sir, we don't have time to talk about your grandfather." Phasma said to her friend. "We have to figure out what we do after that traitor, Finn, left us, not to mention we have to run this business."

"She's absolutely right. You're acting like a child again." Hux said.

 _Look who's talking…_ Kylo thought with a scoff.

As usual, he hated everyone and everything around him when he heard that as he face planted his desk.

"Screw both of you…" he said.

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

"Someone picked up that dog of yours?" Finn asked as Poe continued driving.

"Yeah, the girl said she found him at Jakku Apartments." Poe said, nodding.

"Jakku Apartments? That dump? Why would you want to go there?!"

"She said that she's waiting for us in the lobby with BB."

Finn groaned and slammed his hand against his face as Poe kept driving.

This has been a LONG day for him…

* * *

Rey paced around the lobby as BB investigated the area around him. She checked the time on her phone and began to wonder if she should move out of her junkyard of an apartment; she had thought about it many times before.

"Stay, BB." she said to the dog, running into the elevator.

The brunette stumbled into her apartment, took a backpack, shoving some clothes, toiletries, and small snacks inside, and left a small note to her landlord. She ran back into the elevator and saw two men around her age with the dog, who was jumping around one of them.

Rey dashed towards them and raised her purse to strike as they backed up with their hands up.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy, we're cool…" one said.

"Yeah, we're just here for the dog." the other said.

"I'm guessing you're Poe Dameron? BB's owner?" she asked.

"That would be me." the second man said while patting BB on the head. "Thanks for finding my dog."

"And I'm Finn." the first man said.

"My name's Rey. I just moved out of this dump." she said to them.

"Well, Rey, you can come with us." Finn said.

Rey stared back at the elevator and then back at Finn and Poe. It was now or…NOW.

"Anything to leave!" she said as she ran after them.

"Welcome to the squad then." Poe said, opening his car door.

BB jumped into the front passenger seat while Rey and Finn climbed into the back.

"This is so cool!" Rey said with a squeal of excitement.

"Today's been INSANE…" Finn said, feeling like he was about to vomit.

"Rey, I know we just met, but you can stay with me or Finn. We live in the same apartment building." Poe said while he started driving.

Rey nodded and placed her backpack and purse down onto the small space in between her and Finn. Poe immediately parked his car across the street from his apartment.

Finn and Rey looked outside, only to be confused by the nearby coffee shop outside with the sign outside reading _Rebel_. Now wasn't the best time to grab a cup. Poe stepped out as they followed, leaving BB in the car.

"What are we doing here?" Rey asked.

"I don't really feel like having coffee though." Finn said.

Poe chuckled at their reactions and said, "We're just here to talk to one of my managers. I work here."

He led them inside and Rey's jaw nearly hit the floor: _Rebel_ looked small on the outside, but bigger inside. The white and orange décor and paint seemed fitting for it as customers enjoyed their drinks. A mix of 80's pop and rock played on the stereos as Poe grinned and dragged Rey and Finn to the table towards the back.

There, two older men were busy talking. Poe cleared his throat and asked, "Uh, Mr. Solo?"

They turned and stood up while gazing at the trio. Finn couldn't help, but feel intimidated by the second man, who was the tallest person he had ever seen.

"Poe, there you are!" the first man said. "I can't believe you ran out in such a hurry."

"Yeah, sorry about that, sir…my dog ran off." Poe said while dusting off his jacket.

"Your dog? BB was being a rascal again, huh?" he asked.

The second man took a bite out of a piece of Porg Jerky and gestured to Rey and Finn, asking, "Who are these two?"

"Uh, I'm Finn and this is Rey." Finn said.

"Hi…" Rey said, feeling awkward.

"Don't be so intimidated, kids. Chewie here's a real teddy bear once you get to know him." the first man said. "I'm Han Solo by the way. Former drag racer and one of the current managers of _Rebel._ "

Rey and Finn turned to Poe in disbelief: one of his bosses was THE Han Solo? Their new friend nodded as his smile widened confidently.

"Looks like you guys were fans…I was Han's mechanic in the old days. My shop is a few blocks down, so I come here often." Chewie said as he ate another piece of Porg Jerky.

"Actually, before we go, I was wondering if you can give me a job here, Mr. Solo." Finn said to Han. "I quit earlier."

"So did I." Rey said.

"I guess you two are hired, but NO funny business while working. Poe will show you the ropes tomorrow." Han said.

Rey and Finn turned towards each other and fist bumped in victory. Finally, their days of crappy jobs were over!

After saying goodbye to Han and Chewie, the trio went to get BB and walked across the street together as the dog jumped around Poe.

"Yeah, yeah, you shouldn't have run off…" Poe said with a laugh.

"So, you and Poe live in the same apartment, but never actually talked to each other?" Rey asked Finn as they walked into the elevator.

"Yeah, we're right next door to each other too. Funny, right?" Finn said.

Rey nodded as the elevator doors opened to her friends' floor: the apartment building was WAY nicer than Jakku Apartments and cleaner compared to the old dump that was her former home.

"Welcome to D'Qar Apartments, Rey. You can choose wherever you want to stay." Poe said, stopping at the doors to the two apartments.

Rey looked at the two doors and her friends. She couldn't believe that she didn't have to live in a piece of junk again…she'll be living better.

"Well, I guess I'll be staying with you, Finn." she said as she moved towards his door.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah. I mean, we have something in common since we both quit our jobs. Great minds think alike, so we should stick together." Rey said.

Poe gave them two thumbs up before heading into his own apartment with BB. Finn cleared his throat and opened the door for her.

"After you…" he said to his new roommate.

She nodded and the two walked inside.


	3. Coffee 101

After being rudely awakened by an overly enthusiastic Poe, Rey and Finn began their first day working as baristas at _Rebel._ Much to their confusion, he brought BB along with them.

"Are dogs even allowed?" Rey asked.

"No, but BB here is our mascot. He HAS to come with me." Poe said while patting BB on the head as they entered. "Anyways, allow me to show you two how we do things around here…"

Finn watched BB walk off to a small orange and white bed in the corner and asked, "So, what's business like?"

"Well, the businessmen come around in the morning and during their breaks. Other people just come to do their work or just grab a cup and leave. However, be warned, occasionally, First Order people stop by just to spite us or even spy. They're MASSIVE dicks." Poe said as he put an apron around his waist.

The two nodded and got their aprons on before starting their job, unaware that they were being watched by a First Order worker.

* * *

 **Later on…**

Kylo stood in the darkness of his office after successfully stacking his employees' paperwork on his desk. Today had been mostly boring, but he was managing.

Suddenly, one of his employees stumbled in and said, "Sir, we found Finn...he's a barista at _Rebel_ now."

"What?!" Kylo asked before he ripped the papers off his desk and smacked a fancy vase onto the floor.

"He was also with Dameron and a girl…" the businessman said.

Kylo then grabbed him by the tie and pulled him close to him, asking, "What's her name?!"

"She had a business tag on. I think her name was Rey or something like that."

"Rey, huh? Interesting name…"

With that, he let him go and watched him run out of the office. Maybe this girl would be an interesting person to interact with…

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

As they worked, Rey was trying to help Finn with the machines as Poe handed out drinks and occasionally went to check on the two.

"So, do you have any family?" Finn asked.

"Nope. I'm basically an orphan since they pretty much abandoned me when I was six or something." she said.

"What about friends?"

"Just you and Poe, I guess."

"What about a boyfriend or even a girlfriend?" he asked.

Rey laughed and shook her head after fixing the machine, saying, "That should do it. Go on and keep those drinks coming."

With that, they went back to work.


	4. Accidental Meeting

"We have to change our strategy…" Kylo said.

Hux crossed his arms and let out an annoyed sigh, saying, "Yes indeed, but what exactly IS your plan?"

"That Rey girl one of our employees mentioned fascinates me, so I'm going to scope out myself."

"She's just a barista. You shouldn't bother with her."

"I'll be going undercover and they'll never know it was me." Kylo said to him. "Not even my father will know…"

 _God, I hate my dad…_ he thought.

"Whatever, don't come crying to me when your plan falls apart and we need to change the plan yet again." Hux said with a groan.

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

Rey, Finn, and Poe were on break and walking BB through the nearby park. The day was going by quickly while the two new baristas were getting used to running things at _Rebel_. Finn stayed close to Poe and BB as Rey put her headphones in and listened to music on her phone.

"I love taking BB through here. He loves it over all the other parks in the city." Poe said as he watched BB sniff around.

"Yeah, I totally get it. It's…nice." Finn said. "Everything's been happening so fast for me since yesterday that it's been hard to process everything."

As they chatted about the park, Rey was singing along to the music on her phone.

" _Try to tell you no, but my body keeps on telling you yes! Try to tell you stop, but your lipstick got me so out of breath! I'll be waking up in the morning probably hating myself, and I'll be waking up feeling satisfied, but guilty as hell. But baby, there you go—"_ she began to say before bumping into someone who was walking by her.

"Watch where you're going, jerk face!" the man said.

He looked…odd to Rey, but she couldn't figure out why. His blonde hair was a slight mess and his glasses were huge, not to mention that his outfit didn't match well.

She took off her headphones and looked him over while seeing his nametag and saying, "I'm so sorry…Matt? I was just so into my music that I wasn't paying attention."

Matt just scoffed and walked away as if her apology meant nothing to him. She could've sworn that she saw him flip her off.

"What was that about?" Poe asked.

Rey shrugged.

"He was just being an asshole. Trust me, I've dealt with plenty during my old job at the mall." she said.

Finn gulped as he looked back to where Matt had left. To him, he couldn't help but think that there was something familiar about him…

* * *

 **Later that day…**

Kylo slammed the drawer containing everything he needed for his disguise shut. The plan seemed to be working perfectly and they had FINALLY crossed paths. However, he could only think about her singing and how she apologized to him after they crashed.

 _She's even more interesting than I thought…_ he thought while picking up the photo of Anakin from his desk.

"Forgive me…I felt it again…the pull to the light." Kylo said. "I had felt it when I ran into the barista. Grandfather, I don't want to feel these emotions, they scare me!"

Emotions that didn't involve anger or annoyance always made him sick and there was NO way he was going to let this conflict inside bother him or let a trio of baristas stand in his way.


	5. We Meet Again

"Alright, you three! Your shift will be over soon, so no messing around." Han said to the trio.

They nodded in response and continued working.

"So, let me get this straight again from what Mr. Solo told us during lunch: First Order Industries is some weapons manufacturer?" Rey asked Finn.

"It's only the biggest one in the city. They plan out how the weapons work before making them and selling them to the highest bidder." he said. "I was one of the ones who did the planning process while some of the higher ups work on the selling part. Trust me, it was a nightmare."

"And they have three bosses instead of just one: there's Phasma, a super aggressive bitch who is buff for a woman, Hux, a snooty redhead who could be an excellent dictator, and the last of them is Kylo Ren, our bosses' son." Poe said.

Rey gasped and said, "No way!"

"Yes way!" he said with a laugh before noticing the door open. "Oh, we've got a customer coming. Quick, get to work."

Rey and Finn immediately got into their positions as they fixed their aprons and prepared for their new customer.

"Welcome to _Rebel_! What would you like to…oh, it's you…" she said upon seeing Matt look at the menu.

"Yeah, could I get just a normal black coffee?" Matt asked.

"Could I get your name for the order?"

 _Asshole…_ she thought.

"Just Matt would be fine."

Rey assumed that perhaps that the encounter at the park was coming back to bite her in the ass for trying to be nice and apologetic towards someone who was a massive jerk. She wrote his name on the cup and handed it over to Finn.

"The guy from the park again?" Finn asked her in a hushed tone as he filled the cup.

"Yeah, jeez, what a small world we live in…" Rey said while Poe took the cup from Finn and read from it.

"Alrighty, we have one black coffee for Matt?" he asked.

Rey glared from between the coffee machines as Matt grabbed the coffee from Poe and left without another word.

"He didn't even say thanks. I guess you were right, Rey." Poe said to his friend.

"It might be just me, but there's this feeling in my gut that I've seen him somewhere else outside of the park." Finn said.

Soon enough, their shift was over and the trio went back to their apartment with BB.

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

Kylo swung his dark bag containing his disguise over his shoulder as he took a seat next to Hux with Phasma sitting across from them.

"About time you showed up! We had to order for you." Phasma said.

Kylo stared down at the turkey dinner in front of him and the glass of Coke beside the plate and asked with a groan, "Really, guys?"

"Don't blame me. I got steak with Sprite and Phasma got a chicken salad with water, so we needed to even it out." Hux said. "So, how has your little undercover mission been going?"

"I made some interesting discoveries about the barista girl: I bumped into her in the park since she rudely crashed into me while singing that shitty song you and Phasma enjoy, not to mention that she was accompanied by Poe Dameron and the traitor as well as their dog." Kylo said.

" _One More Night_ is anything, but shit!" Phasma said as she slammed her fist on the table.

Hux put his arm out to prevent her from strangling Kylo and said, "That's enough, Phasma. What else did you find out?"

"Later that day, I went to grab a coffee and there she was in all her glory, but she was unhappy to see me, probably because I called her a jerk face." he said.

Hux groaned as Phasma rolled her eyes and asked, "Wow, you have SOME way with women, don't you?"

"Shut up…" Kylo said, running his fingers through his hair.

"Does it even matter? We must find a way to put an end to these baristas' schemes." Hux said.

* * *

 **A few days later…**

Luke Skywalker took a deep breath as he watched his twin sister, Leia, sit down across from him along with Han.

"Leia, Han, I don't think Ben is doing okay…" he said with a sigh.

"No shit, Sherlock." Han said.

"Luke, while we are proud that he's a successful businessman, we're concerned about his behavior." Leia said.

"He never returns our calls, he's super arrogant, and he's convinced that his phase is who he really is." Han said, groaning.

"And he insists that everyone calls him Kylo Ren instead of his real name." Luke said. "He has never changed from when he was a teenager."

Leia looked over at an old family picture and sighed, saying, "He thinks he's above everyone with his friends. To be honest, I miss when he was a kid."

"At least he's not like that Rey girl you both have been telling me about." Luke said.

"Oh, not at all! She's a smart and hardworking employee, the same goes for Finn." Han said with a small smile.

"As for Poe, he's always been fantastic. I admire him a lot." Leia said.

"What about Kylo's friends?" Luke asked.

Han groaned and shook his head, saying, "I just don't like them at all. The three of them have been close since high school and while yeah, Ben was growing up and he couldn't be with us forever, I knew for a fact that they were bad influences."

"To be honest, I never liked Hux. Sure, he was formal and polite, but there was this aggressive fire in his eyes that made me feel uneasy." Leia said before looking back at the old photo.

"And Phasma?" Luke asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She was top of her classes in high school according to Ben, but she's VERY tough and overly serious. I just don't like that." Han said.

Luke nodded and continued the conversation with his family.


	6. The Next Step

Finally, she had some time off! Rey was taking any moment whenever she wasn't working to do two things: hang out with her friends and take fencing classes. Sure, she never picked up a sword in her life until she started her lessons, but to her surprise, she was skilled at it.

Once she entered the building, Rey placed her bag on a nearby chair and went to change into her fencing outfit. She then approached Luke, who was waiting for her.

"I'm glad you were able to show up, Rey!" he said with a smile. "Since you've been improving so much, I was thinking about giving you a partner."

"Really? I can't wait to meet them!" she said while looking around for her partner.

As if on cue, her fencing partner arrived: he looked intimidating for sure with the all black outfit, but the fencing mask covered his face, so she couldn't get a good look at him.

"Ben, this is your new partner, Rey." Luke said.

Ben let out an impatient growl upon hearing his name as Rey raised an eyebrow.

"Wait a minute, what happened to his OLD partner?" Rey asked in confusion.

"It's complicated, Rey. Ben here has a…habit of injuring his sparring partners." Luke said.

 _Well, that's comforting…_ she thought.

"So, you really think that you can duel me, huh? That's cute…" Ben said with a humorless laugh. "I'll have you know that I've won more fencing trophies than you."

Immediately, they grabbed their swords and began to duel, the sounds of swords clashing echoing through the building as Luke watched.

"Don't even try calling me cute now! And you know something? I don't care about your trophies!" Rey said as their swords kept clashing over and over.

Luke kept his mouth shut, watching his two prized students duel.

"You need a teacher! I can show you the ways of fencing! I can even be your…private tutor." Ben said.

"Please, in your dreams!" Rey said with a scoff.

"Both of you shouldn't get so intense. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to—" Luke began to say before dodging a flurry of blades in front of him.

The duel went on for what felt like hours until the older man broke up the duel between his two students and got them to change back into their normal clothes. When Rey stepped out, she saw that Ben had already left.

With a sigh, she took her bag and walked back to her apartment.

* * *

 **Sometime later at Poe's apartment…**

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let me put this together, your new partner has injured his old ones and YOU managed to duel him unscratched?" Poe asked.

Rey nodded and said, "Yeah, he was somewhat of a flirty one though."

"Holy shit, that's amazing! Not the flirting thing though…" Poe said.

"That sounds really cool, Rey." Finn said as he fed BB a treat. "I never picked up fencing before, but I don't think I would like all that much though."

"I'll admit, it was tough at first, but I quickly got used to it." Rey said, petting BB once he approached her seat.

"And that's always the best way to go through it." Poe said with a nod.

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

Kylo found himself lost in his thoughts as he listened to Hux brag about his many accomplishments as they relaxed in their mansion. He couldn't believe that the barista girl went to the same fencing studio as him and that his uncle of all people paired them together as sparring partners.

"Rey, why have you been following me?" he asked himself.

"Ugh, are you even listening to me?" Hux said with a groan. "I was just telling the story on how I became Student Council President back in high school, but you were too busy thinking about your little barista girlfriend."

"What? Hux, she's NOT my girlfriend!" Kylo said.

"Please, she's been the only thing on your mind when we haven't been working or in the middle of our meetings." Phasma said while scoffing.

"Shut up!" Kylo said before gritting his teeth.

"If she happens to interest you so much, why don't you just call her and invite her here or something like that?" Hux asked.

The dark haired businessman's eyes widened upon hearing that. At least it would give him SOMETHING to do after work…

"My god, that's brilliant, Hux!" Kylo said.

"SOMEONE's in a good mood." Phasma said with a laugh.

"At least you're appreciating my genius plans, Kylo…" Hux said under his breath.

The plan was perfect and now, all he had to do was figure out what to say to Rey…


	7. Face to Face

Monday was smooth sailing and both Rey and Finn were settled into their new jobs with Poe's help. However, that night, Rey received a call that was going to change her life forever…

While Finn and Poe were having a guys' night out, she decided to enjoy some time to herself (BB was being watched by one of Poe's friends) and spend time in her apartment. Before she had the chance to grab the TV remote, her phone rang.

"What?" she asked herself as she picked it up and answered the call. "Uh, who is this?"

"It's Ben…from fencing. I'll have you know that I'm not stalking you since Luke gave me your number." the person on the other end said.

"And how do I know that it's really you?"

"Uh, you need a teacher! I can show you the ways of fencing. I'll be your private tutor, blah, blah, blah, I have tons of trophies, but you don't give a shit…"

"You made SOME impression there." Rey said sarcastically.

"And I wanted to apologize for hitting on you. It wasn't intentional, just a heat of the moment thing during our duel." Ben said before sighing. "Anyways, my roommates are at some party or whatever, so maybe we can continue our talk face to face at my place?"

Rey froze, unsure of how to respond. She had work tomorrow! How was she supposed to meet with her partner and get some rest before it was time for her to go back to her job?

 _Come on, Rey! Think of something to say!_ she thought.

"Uh, sure thing! My roommate is out with one of my friends too, so we can hang out or something. Us lonely people need to stick together, right?"

"I guess…I'll text you my address immediately. See you soon…Rey."

"And the same to you, Ben." Rey said before hanging up and unaware of his growl once she said his name.

The next thing she knew was that a text flashed on her phone with Ben's address gleaming up at her.

 _I can't believe I'm doing this …_ Rey thought.

* * *

As she pulled up to the dark, massive mansion, Rey wasn't sure about what to say. This didn't look like the right place at all…

"I must be out of my mind." she said to herself. "Ugh, Ben, don't let this be a prank…"

With that, Rey stepped out of her car and saw the front door creak open, slowly walking inside to investigate.

 _I'm SO getting arrested for breaking and entering if this is the wrong place,_ she thought.

The door slammed behind her and Rey swore she saw someone walking in the shadows from there and out into the darkness of the mansion's foyer. The red and black décor and wallpaper reminded Rey of First Order Industries.

She snuck after the dark figure, hoping it was Ben and not some rich person she accidently intruded on. Rey followed the figure into the living room and hid behind a wall when she saw that he was on a phone call.

"No, mom, I'm NOT coming over to see you, dad, and Uncle Luke for dinner tomorrow…" he said with a groan. "I've got paperwork to fill out, yeah, that's it!"

" _Uncle?" Luke is his uncle?_ Rey thought.

Immediately, he hung up and glared at his phone, which gave Rey enough time to sneak past him into the living room. It was dark like everything else in this mansion and that didn't surprise her at all. There was NO way Ben was this rich…

"Hello?" she asked, hoping that she wasn't in the wrong place.

"You finally showed up, huh? You took forever!" the figure asked with a scoff. "You're still confused about where you are."

His voice sounded so familiar that it startled her. It couldn't be Ben, could it?

"That's what you get when your fencing partner sends you to the home of someone in First Order Industries and not his own house."

The figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself as…Kylo. Rey froze: her partner was Kylo freaking Ren!

 _Why is he hot?_ she thought.

His brown eyes suddenly gave her a craving for chocolate and she resisted the urge to run her fingers through his dark, wavy hair. His red and black suit looked perfect on him and he appeared like a gentleman and not a corrupt businessman.

Then, she pictured him with blonde hair, giant dorky glasses, and an outfit that didn't match, confirming her worst fears.

"You have a lot of questions. I can tell it in your face…"

"It's you! You're the asshole from the park and…my partner. Do you—" Rey began to say.

"I don't have a split personality disorder. Matt was just a disguise I used to go undercover and Ben is my real name, which I hate as much as my family. Now, you know everything." Kylo said.

How was she supposed to respond to that? This guy that she found attractive was both the quirky, but rude man from the park and her fencing partner. Suddenly, he wasn't so sexy…

"Okay then…?"

 _I guess this IS the right place._ Rey thought before tensing when she saw that Kylo was now dangerously close to her.

"Even though you have your little friends and their dog to keep you company, you seem so lonely. I can help you with that…and my parents and uncle talk nonstop about you. My dad is the closest thing to a father you're EVER going to get."

"Shut up, you fucking creep!" Rey said while watching him surprisingly back off once she yelled at him.

 _Mixed signals much?_ she thought, noticing that he was standing at least five feet away from her.

"Like I told you, I wasn't stalking you or being a creep. We're partners after all and we should get to know each other better." Kylo said before trying to take a small step forward, causing Rey to grit her teeth at him. "Don't be afraid, Rey. I feel it too."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"Hopefully, you'll find out in the future…"

She bit her lip and crossed her arms as he walked closer and closer to her until they were face to face. During this small stare off, Rey hated that her face was going completely red just by looking at him. She broke eye contact and saw a nearby black and white photo.

"That's your grandfather, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, he was a war vet and died before I was born. I look up to him though." Kylo said with a shrug.

Rey took a deep breath and stared at the door before looking back at him.

"Cool, I guess. I need to go since I have work tomorrow. See you during our next fencing class."

"No, wait! Don't—"

With that, Rey was already gone. Kylo groaned and knocked a vase down from a table in a rage and threw a picture frame against the wall before calling Hux.

"What is it, Kylo?!" Hux asked over the loud music on the other end. "Phasma and I are out partying!"

"It's the barista! Everything turned out really awkward and she left the mansion!" Kylo said.

"Are you FUCKING serious?! THAT'S the reason why you decided to call me?!" Hux said, the music pulsating louder on his end.

However, only Kylo could hear the loud beating of his heart and not the music from wherever the hell Hux and Phasma were.

"She's making me feel weird! Like, I can only hear my heart beating and my chest hurts and I know it's all her damn fault! I'm better than her anyways."

"Ugh, are you serious?! Why don't you just bring her to visit your parents or something?!"

"She already KNOWS them, Hux! They're her bosses at their stupid coffee shop!" Kylo said.

"I think your compassion for her is your weakness." Hux said.

Upon hearing that, Kylo's heartbeat got louder and he started to blush uncontrollably.

"N-no. Never. Compassion? I don't feel compassion…"

"The telltale signs of a lie include repeating one's self and responding to a question with another question. You DO like her! I'm telling Phasma once she brings me my drink!"

"Shut up, Hux!" Kylo said while hiding his blush.

"I can tell that you're lying from the tone of your voice." Hux said. "Finally! I have to go, Kylo. Phasma already has my drink."

With that, he hung up and Kylo put his phone in his pocket while cursing to himself. She seemed like a tough nut to crack, but it interested him…

 _God, why can't the beating stop?_ he thought as he listened to his heartbeat.


	8. Challenge Accepted

"She just…walked away from him. Well, that's what he said about his little barista girlfriend." Hux said to Phasma.

"You really do like her, don't you?" Phasma asked her fellow co-leader with a smirk, even if she couldn't see him in the darkness of his office.

"I don't! Whatever Hux told you is a lie! It's NOT true that I like her!" Kylo said as he hid his blush.

"Your face is redder than my hair now, you're not fooling anyone." Hux said.

"Shut up!" Kylo said with a growl.

 _Ugh, men…_ Phasma thought, groaning.

"Anyways, we need to get back to work. Thanks for the future blackmail…" she said before leaving with Hux.

Kylo groaned as the door closed and he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. Now, they were NEVER going to leave him alone about this…

* * *

 **Later that day, at Rebel…**

"Holy shit, your fencing partner is Kylo Ren?!" Finn asked in shock.

"Shhh! Not so loud, Finn!" Rey said, hushing him. "Yeah, we're partners and we officially met up last night."

Poe almost dropped the cup he was giving to a customer and asked, "And how did that go exactly?"

"It was…awkward and not to mention that he was completely insufferable. He was that asshole from the park! That…ugh, he used that disguise to spy on us." she said while shaking her head.

Then, they went back to work and occasionally talked about what had happened last night.

Several minutes before the end of their shifts, Han stopped them.

"So, what's this about you meeting Kylo Ren?" he asked Rey.

Rey jumped and fixed her apron, saying, "Yeah, it wasn't fun. If I remember correctly, you said that he was your son, right?"

"So, you got that memorized, huh, kid?" Han asked with a chuckle. "You know, Ben wasn't a bad kid when he was younger. Yeah, he's an idiot who acts like a whiny teenager, but Leia and I miss when he was sane, you know."

She nodded, not sure how to respond, but understanding his point. However, people change all the time and there was no help when it happened…her thoughts were broken when the last customer came in.

Rey felt her blood boil as she saw Kylo walk up towards the counter. She noticed Han's steeled expression and saw him back off slightly.

"We're closing up soon, you know…" Rey said to the dark haired businessman.

"I'll just take that black coffee I got last time, the name for the order is Kylo Ren." he said.

She glared at him and handed the cup to Finn, who let out a small squeak when Kylo stared in his direction.

"This isn't good at all." Finn said while giving Poe the cup.

"Tell me about it." his friend said. "Black coffee for Kylo Ren?"

Their customer grabbed the cup from Poe and began to drink as he rolled his eyes once he saw his father approach him.

"Ben?" Han asked him.

"Hey, dad…just enjoying some coffee that's black as my soul." Kylo said.

His father rolled his eyes and said, "Stop being so dramatic and start acting like the boy I raised for twenty or so years!"

"You're making me feel torn apart, dad. I want to be free of your pain…" Kylo said.

Rey groaned and rolled her eyes at this.

"Jeez, dramatic much?" she asked.

Suddenly, Kylo dropped his coffee and it fell all over Han's clothes.

"Damn it, Ben! This was a new outfit!" Han said.

"Does it look like I give a fuck? You get in the way of my goals. You've always had!" Kylo said before shoving Finn and Poe out of the way when they came to clean up the mess. "Out of the way!"

He was almost out of the shop when Rey dashed up to him and grabbed him by the tie to stop him in his tracks.

"You make me sick!" Rey said as she glared at him.

"Sure I do…how about this? Tomorrow night, meet me at the fencing studio. We're going to duel!" he said.

"Let's do it then!" she said to him before he left.

"Oh my god, I can't believe you're going to duel him…" Poe said.

"I'm so sorry about what happened, Mr. Solo." Finn said, looking at Han's coffee stained outfit.

"It's fine, kid. I can wash it off at home." Han said. "You kids can take BB and go home if you want."

The trio nodded and went home with BB following close behind them.


	9. Duel of Fates

The following night, after their shifts were done, Hux and Phasma made their way into the fencing studio.

 _Of course, he HAD to make it into a big show and bring us along…_ Hux thought.

With a groan, he stood next to Phasma and kept his eyes on the training mat.

* * *

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Finn said to Poe.

"Don't worry about it, man. Rey can do this. You know how tough she is." Poe said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Finn nodded and tried to focus on something else other than his friend…until he noticed Phasma sneaking off.

 _What the hell does she think she's doing?_ he thought, following after her.

* * *

Rey fixed her fencing mask and took a deep breath as she looked back at her friends. What was taking her opponent so long to set up? She impatiently tapped her foot on the training mat until she saw a familiar figure in all black protective outfit glaring at her as he walked in and slid his mask on.

"Took you long enough…" she said under her breath.

"Sorry if I took so long, but it's now time that we dueled!" Kylo said as he grabbed his sword.

Rey glared at him and picked up a sword.

* * *

Poe looked over at Hux, who looked bored out of his mind just standing there and watching the fight. He could've sworn he heard the redhead grumble something about being forced into watching the fight as he watched him back away from the fight.

 _The hell?_ Poe thought as he followed him.

* * *

Finn had no idea what Phasma's plan was, but he knew that he HAD to follow her. Once he caught up to her, he tried to approach her.

"Well, if it isn't the traitor…" she said, grabbing his arm.

"What do you have planned?" he asked. "Are you going to sabotage my friend just so Kylo can win?"

Phasma just stared at him and blinked.

"Are you serious? I was just bored and wandered off to do something else."

Finn got himself out of her grip.

"No, there's obviously something suspicious about you sneaking off."

"Are you calling me a liar?" Phasma asked.

He gulped, not wanting to get on her bad side since he knew about the consequences of it from back then. But this wasn't the past anymore…

"Well…yeah!" Finn said.

Phasma brushed her short blonde hair back and glared at him.

"It's on…traitor."

"Let's do this!"

They then charged at each other at the very moment Rey and Kylo began their duel.

* * *

As the fight went on, Poe went up to Hux who nearly smacked him right when he noticed him.

"Whoa!" Poe said, dodging the punch.

"What the hell?" Hux asked. "Are you spying on me?"

Poe let out a laugh and patted him on the back.

"Chill, Hugs. I'm not here to spy on you."

Hux growled at him.

"Do NOT call me Hugs! It's Hux! H-U-X! Not Hugs, but Hux!"

Poe put his hands up in defense and said, "Jeez, man! I thought I told you to chill…"

"I AM COMPLETELY CALM! JUST LET ME ENJOY THE FIGHT!" Hux said.

Poe backed off, but shrugged.

"Fine, I'll let you watch. I'll watch with you though."

"I would prefer not…"

* * *

All Rey could hear was the clanking of her sword against Kylo's. How long have they been dueling? She couldn't remember, but time was going quicker than she thought. Much to her surprise, he took off his mask.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked.

"I want you to look at me when I defeat you! I want to see the utter devastation in your eyes!" Kylo said.

Rey couldn't believe what she was hearing and seeing. Luke had always warned both of them to play it safe and to wear their safety outfits and masks when dueling.

They then continued dueling as their swords clashed over and over again.

* * *

Finn and Phasma continued fighting as the duel went on. Phasma threw Finn against the wall, knocking him out briefly as she ran back to her spot. When Finn woke up, he found himself in a small panic until he saw Phasma next to Hux, who was glaring at Poe.

 _At least I did what I could…_ Finn thought, going back to watch the duel.

* * *

Poe watched the duel and cheered on Rey before seeing an exhausted Finn walk up to him.

"Dude, you look out of breath. What's up?" he asked his best friend.

Finn wiped some sweat off his forehead and said, "It's a long story…"

Poe nodded, deciding to not question it. With everything that has been happening from the Solo Family drama to meeting Rey and Finn, he knew that life wasn't going to be as easy as it was before…

* * *

Rey and Kylo clashed their swords again and glared at each other.

"Your skills are impressive to me, but I can make you better! Rey, let me teach you the ways of fencing!" Kylo said.

Rey shook her head and groaned. They might have been partners, but there was NO way she was going to let him tutor her!

She had no idea what came over her and the next thing she knew was that she had slashed Kylo across the face with her sword, making a scar on the left side of his face. In shock, Rey wiped off the blood.

Kylo dropped his sword in shock at what he was seeing. He could feel the exhaustion slowly take him over as he stumbled.

"You need a teacher more than I do…" Rey said.

Kylo glared at Hux and Phasma, gesturing them to grab the first aid kit, which they did.

"I'm not giving up!"

"Neither am I! This isn't over."

With that, she picked up the swords and put them away before going to change into her normal clothes.


	10. Just Another Day

**A few months later…**

Hux and Phasma walked to Kylo's office as some workers backed away from them or quickly returned to work once their bosses glared at them. They finally stepped into the office, careful to not get any light in.

Despite his defeat, Kylo was proud of his new scar that Rey gave him since it made him resemble his grandfather, who also had a scar on his face.

"So, we've heard that you FINALLY have a plan." Hux said.

"Yeah, that's why I called you in." Kylo said as he crossed his arms.

"What's the plan?" Phasma asked.

Kylo gestured them to come closer and they huddled around as he said, "We're going to have to know our enemies in order to crush them…Hux, you get Poe, Phasma, you'll be after the traitor, and I already have Rey."

He smirked to himself as he thought about the dueling sessions they've been having during fencing lessons. However, he couldn't help, but feel as though his uncle was getting in the way since he was keeping a closer eye to make sure that he doesn't do anything reckless.

"Why do I have to get Dameron?" Hux asked under his breath.

"Don't ask too many questions, Hux." Kylo said to him.

* * *

"Watch out!" a voice said, making Rey jump.

Immediately, she pushed up a box before it could fall on her as her coworker, Rose, caught it.

"That was close…" Rey said. "Are you alright, Rose?"

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine. This is just a new order that came in, so I'll let Mr. and Mrs. Solo know."

"PLEASE be careful next time, alright?"

Rose nodded and carried her box off to the back room. Finn and Poe watched their friend walk behind the counter to join them.

"You know Rose isn't that bad, Rey. She's a sweet girl, but she's…clumsy." Poe said while patting BB on the head.

"I know that." Rey said.

Even though she loved her friends and her job, part of her felt like she didn't know what her place in the world was.

Finn then heard the door open and said, "We've got a customer, guys."

With that, they immediately went to work. Poe turned to Rey as she handed the cup to Finn and grinned at her.

"A customer in here mentioned that he saw Kylo Ren without his shirt and he said that he had an eight pack and that he was shredded." Poe said.

"What? I don't believe it." Rey said with a scoff while Finn handed him the drink.

"That customer MIGHT be exaggerating, Poe, but I think it's possible…" Finn said.

Rey shrugged, not sure what was the truth about him.


	11. Things Get Awkward

"Ugh…" Rey said as she steadied her balance using her sword after being defeated.

Kylo took her sword and put it down next to his, taking off his mask to get a better look at her. Rey groaned while resisting the urge to punch him in the face since she knew that Luke was watching nearby.

"Looks like I win this round, Rey." Kylo said, removing from her mask.

 _What an asshole…_ she thought.

"You think?" Rey asked with a scoff.

What he did next surprised her: Kylo held out his hand to her and she stared at him in confusion.

"Come on, let's get you up."

Rey looked down at his hand and back up at him.

"There's NO way I'm grabbing YOUR hand. I don't trust you."

Kylo rolled his eyes and asked under his breath, "Are you always this untrusting or did I just get lucky?"

"Don't even try to use this as an excuse to flirt…" Rey said.

Then, she remembered that Luke was watching and she knew that he could get angry at her for not accepting his nephew's hand. Rey sighed to herself, grabbing Kylo's hand as he helped her up.

"See? There's no harm done in just holding hands." Kylo said as he stroked her hand and stared at her lips.

Rey found herself blushing uncontrollably. Why did her partner have to be so difficult?

"You're a fucking pain, you know that?" she asked, pulling her hand away.

He rolled his eyes at her again and said, "Don't take what I did personally. It's not like I like you or anything…"

With that, he walked off to the men's locker room. Rey didn't know how to respond, so she groaned and approached Luke.

"Rey, you know that one of the rules is to—" he began to say.

"…Always respect your partner, I know." she said. "He's so infuriating though! God, I hate when we tease each other and the next thing we know is that we're flirting!"

Luke raised an eyebrow at her upon seeing that her face was becoming red again.

"Do you like Ben, Rey?"

She froze upon hearing that. For the past several months, outside of feeling conflicted on what her purpose in life was, she couldn't help, but feel annoyingly drawn to Kylo.

"Uh…I honestly don't know. Part of me likes him as a partner for the challenge, but the other half just hates him. I don't like him in THAT way though."

Luke nodded and said, "You know, until you came to me for lessons, I've never seen any of my students as evenly matched as the two of you."

"And what exactly are you going with this?" Rey asked him.

Luke sighed and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm suggesting that you and him get along. I'm not saying that you HAVE to be friends, I'm only saying that you two should be in some form of understanding."

 _Get along with Kylo Ren? I'm not sure how to even do that…_ Rey thought.

"I guess I can give it a shot…"

He smiled at her as she went to the women's locker room.

* * *

Finn adjusted his headphones as he walked into the small store to grab some drinks for him, Rey, and Poe. He let himself get lost in the aisles for a while before grabbing a pack of cans nearby.

 _Hopefully, this will be good…_ he thought.

Finn hummed to himself until he realized that Phasma was standing in front of him. He let out a pathetic sounding squeak, which made her turn to him.

"Oh, it's you…" she said with a groan. "What do you want, traitor?"

"Could you PLEASE stop calling me that? I know you're still bitter about me leaving, but I just want us to try to settle things peacefully." he said.

Phasma groaned and shook her head.

"We're NEVER going to be friends, no matter how much you try…"

"We can try to get along for once if you just—"

She shot him a glare before stepping up to the cashier. Finn knew that this was going to be harder than he thought.

* * *

Poe sighed and grinned as he walked BB through the park.

"Isn't it a beautiful day, buddy?" he asked, patting his dog on the head.

BB jumped around, wagging his tail until he sniffed something and started leading his owner in that direction.

"Whoa there, BB. What's gotten into you?" Poe asked with a laugh.

The dog led him towards a part of the park that they don't normally visit during their walks. Poe looked around until he saw Hux throwing a coffee cup away.

Suddenly, BB got out of his owner's grasp and approached Hux while taking the leash with him.

"What the shit?" Hux asked while BB stared up at him.

Poe ran up to them and said, "Sorry about that, man. My dog is the adventurous type, always getting into trouble and running off to see the world, you know?"

Hux groaned upon seeing him and crossed his arms.

"Don't come any closer…"

Poe grinned at him, putting his hands behind his back.

"You gotta be less snobby. I can help you be less stuck up if you want."

Hux growled at him as he stared at BB, saying, "I hate you so much…"

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Poe said.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_ Hux thought.


	12. Connection

Rey, Finn, and Poe sat together with their drinks, not sure about what to say about what their interactions with the First Order Industries owners. Before anyone could speak up, Rey's phone rang.

"Sorry, I have to take this…" she said.

Her friends nodded as she stepped away and looked at her phone, the name _Ben_ shining up at her. Rey immediately picked up the call.

"What do you want?" Rey asked.

"Jeez, calm down!" Kylo said on the other end with a groan. "I'm only calling to say hello and because Uncle Luke told me to."

She stopped in her tracks and held the phone closer to her face, hoping that her friends aren't overhearing the conversation.

"Let me guess: he wanted you to—"

"At least TRY to get along with you? Yeah, I guess he told you that too…"

 _Now, we're both stuck with each other…_ Rey thought.

"Trust me, I'm just as speechless as you are that he's forcing us into this. Good god, this feels like a romcom…I HATE those movies!" Kylo said.

"They're problematic at best. See you at fencing class, I guess?" she asked.

Kylo let out an annoyed sigh on the other end.

"Yeah, I guess…see you then, Rey."

"See you."

With that, he hung up and she went to rejoin her friends.

"What was that about?" Poe asked.

"My partner called me." she said with a sigh. "Luke wants us to get along despite the incident that happened a few months ago…and the fact that he drives me insane."

"If you think that's bad, I had to bring back Phasma's number on my phone and give Hux's number to Poe." Finn said.

"So, this means that all three of us are stuck with them." Rey said before groaning with Finn.

"It can't be THAT bad, guys. All this will take is just a bit of time." Poe said to his friends.

 _I hope he's right._ Finn thought as he stared at Rey.

* * *

Kylo gritted his teeth as he collapsed and his sword fell next to him. Rey took off her mask, grinning in triumph while putting the weapons away.

"Looks like I win this round, Kylo." she said as she took off his mask.

"Whatever…" Kylo said under his breath.

 _Here goes nothing._ Rey thought, holding her hand out to him.

"And so, the tables have turned once more. How does defeat feel now?"

Kylo looked up at her, momentarily finding himself unable to make a sarcastic comment in response. His uncle had been telling him that Rey was the only partner that actually managed to be on the same level as him. Maybe this was his chance to keep a partner for once…

"Defeat feels like embarrassment and pain."

With that, he grabbed her hand and stood up. The next thing the two of them knew was that they were lost in each other's eyes as they stared for a moment until Kylo managed to break the silence.

"I know my uncle wants us to get along, so…do you want to hang out in a bit or something?" he asked.

 _Oh god, is he asking me out? I didn't sign up for that part! Come on, Rey, think about how to answer!_ Rey thought.

"Sure thing." she said with a shrug before moving to the locker room.

* * *

Rey had no idea what she was doing, even while she was tapping her fingers against the table. Kylo told her that he was going to have them share something special together. However, he was taking a while to walk back.

"I must be out of my mind to be spending time with him…" Rey said to herself.

Before she knew it, Kylo returned and placed what appeared to be a platter of nachos completely drenched in cheese at the middle of the table before sitting across from her.

"Sorry I took so long. These HAD to be perfect." he said. "This is going to be the greatest moment of your life when you try these."

 _The great and terrible Kylo Ren likes nachos?_ she thought while grabbing a chip and eating it.

Suddenly, she found herself eating more chips from her side of the plate.

"Alright, you've convinced me…"

Even though she didn't notice at first, Kylo gestured to his face.

"Uh…you've got some cheese on your face. It's a little bit on the…ugh, never mind! I'll get it."

Rey stopped eating as Kylo grabbed a napkin and said, "Look at me, alright? I just need to get rid of that bit of cheese or I'll lose my damn mind."

He wiped it off with ease and took a quick moment to stroke her cheek. Rey felt her heart stop as she looked into his dark brown eyes.

"Thanks?" she asked.

Kylo shrugged at her compliment, not sure how to respond to her.

"Don't mention it."

As they went through the remaining nachos, they went for a chip at the same time before accidently touching hands. The two of them pulled away and Kylo took the chip, eating it.

"So, outside of fencing and eating nachos, what else do you do after work?"

Kylo wiped some cheese off his face with a napkin. She really wanted to know about him? He only told Hux and Phasma that he went fencing after work.

"After eating, I go to this quiet part of the park away from everyone to brood." he said.

Rey nodded and said, "I guess that you like to be…solo."

She smirked at him as he stared at her, his expression blank.

"That was cheesy."

"YOU'RE cheesy!"

Kylo bit his lip upon hearing that, feeling uncertain about how he was supposed to respond to that.

"Yeah, well, you need to work on not being so distracting and…whatever!" he said before taking a deep breath.

 _I guess he ran out of comments…_ Rey thought, laughing to herself.

"I'll show you the place I hang out at IF you promise not to tell anyone."

"I promise not to tell."

* * *

The area was mostly dark, which seemed perfect for Kylo. Rey knew it was all too fitting for her fencing partner to hang out in a place like this.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked.

She jumped when she heard Kylo ask her that and turned to him.

"It's nice, I guess." Rey said before letting out a shiver. "I like how calm it is, but I can do without all the darkness."

He raised an eyebrow at her while taking off his black jacket.

"Are you cold? Do you want my jacket?" Kylo asked.

She looked at the jacket as he went up to her.

"Um…I don't know if I can."

Suddenly, he draped his jacket around her and she put it on. Rey noticed that he wasn't looking at her.

"You look good in black, but don't take it personally."

She looked at the jacket before moving a bit closer to him. Rey couldn't help, but feel…content being near him while blushing as he wrapped his arm around her and moved her head to his chest.

 _I can't believe this is happening._ she thought, resting her head on him and listening to his heartbeat.

Rey stared up at him and scratched the back of her head nervously, saying, "Thank you, Kylo. I had no idea that I was going to enjoy this…hangout."

"I'm glad you did, but remember, no one needs to know about this." Kylo said, leaning in slightly closer to her.

Part of her hated that his breath was cold while the other half was practically begging to be kissed by him. Rey nearly lost her breath as he came closer to her. What was she supposed to do?

"Wait, I don't think now's the best time…"

Kylo backed away, watching Rey hand his jacket back to him.

"Sorry about that, it was a heat of the moment thing. I understand why you don't want this."

Rey sighed and watched him put his jacket on. That was a close one, but she didn't feel as though she was ready yet for a kiss.

"Uh, do you want me to drive you home?" Kylo asked.

"Yeah, sure…" she said.

With that, the two walked together as the awkward feelings filled the air.


End file.
